*Throws hands in the air mimicking the scene from Do The Right Thing*
I told someone last week, I don’t even think it’s about Jay anymore. I think it’s more about the team & minds that he’s got assembled around him @ this point. Now, we all know that comes from his ascension to prestige & recognition because everyone wants to partner with a winner. It’s his past greatness that allows him latitude to move free & the support necessary to retain his “Hustler’s posterchild” title.
Creating what’s next or at least staying on the cusp of what is does require a few creative minds. Jay has that for years unending, helping him to recreate himself as any good entertainer should. He’s walked that fine line between staying unattainable & detached, yet just enough in the mix of things to stay relevant. Momentum is key & Jay’s managed to keep it, as an entity & businessman @ least.
Now musically, his last truly great outing was The Black Album. Yeah…I said it.
You can listen to BP3 in full @ Rhapsody.com and from MTV’s The Leak, all without fear of repercussion from the RIAA.
Rhapsody and MTV Set the Stage for Jay-Z’s Latest Album, The Blueprint 3 [HHPR]
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The Black Album = Overrated by too many.
^Agreed. The Black Album and American Gangster will forever be classic albums though. Just for the fact that the Acapella’s were released and everybody and they mama did their own remix album. The beats may not be (but they are), but the raps are classic.
The Black Album iz a Dopeness album. maybe even classic.
but not ‘classic’ in the sense of RD, OB4CL, Illmatic & Supreme Clientele. what i mean is that : ‘Classicism’ ain’t really crossover… !
American Gangster is proper but The Black Album got some shoddy, generic production like “Threat,” “What More Can I Say” and “Justify My Thug.” Nobody ever talks about “My 1st Song” either.
It’s got some classic songs though. Only Jigga album without classic songs is probably BP2
My girl can ride around listening to American Gangster a capella… nuff said.
The Black Album is very good though.
I think DH had said this earlier…..
“Props to all producers who took part in Blueprint 3 EXCEPT Timothy “Rockport” Mosely. Dude you suck in comparison to all of the other production teams involved. Ya’ll owe Jigga his money back.”
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agreed…co-sign…even though I like Off That….the first 9 tracks on BP 3 are doooooooope…epic even. Guess Jay wanted a “stadium-sound” feel for BP 3…ala Graduation…he pulled it off, but Kanye did that feel better.
Black Album is dope, albeit a bit overrated. American Gangster was his last proper music outing…the concept, the soul, the lyrics were poignant and on point.
and there’s classic Hov songs on all his albums…even on The Dynasty…haha (Dynasty Intro, anyone?).
Opinions: Is American Ganster underrated?
*Opinions: Is American Gangster underrated?
man, Black Album is thorough from end to end. Any other opinion is meh to me lol. And if you rank it above the fairytale that is AG (a well-told fairytale but still), I have to question what makes a good rap album to you.
each jigga album has his classic song for sure…
after, a classic song is a solo track or with feat ? cuz
dynasty’s This can’t be life or some how some way
just those ones, come on!
*or somehowsomeway’s bp2*
but Gotty…
aren’t most hip-hop albums fairy-tales in the first place?
haha.
The Black Album is SOOOOO overrated. I prefer American Gangster and that one has its slow points too…
“Off That” = Club banger. Step away from the cpu speakers people.
When did Black Album become overrated?!?! That album is toooo legit. It captured Hov at his finest moment and IMO the last time he was relevant. afterwards he did dropped some great guest appearances tho and AG was a good concept album.
BP3 is not a Jay album. From beats, to Guests on the album and even the flow.
The blasphemy going on in the comments. The Black Album overrated? *faints*
lol bored knows what’s a jay album more than jayz himself…
a lot of guests (singers) but it’s a jay album at 40, yes
wtf beats, flow… come on dude
^^^
Jay-Z is more relevant than ever son. He’s not taking interviews, he’s giving press conferences.
Didn’t we do this (rank Jay’s albums) a couple months ago…
Anyway if I rememba correctly the general consensus was BP and RD were pretty much a lock for 1 & 2. Which one was which depending on personal taste. With Vol 1 and KC fighting for last. The rest were scattered in the middle in varying order, but the top and bottom of the list stayed pretty consistent…
On first listen I like BP3, not enough to top his catalog, but its a good album. Even the Timbo (lol at Rockport) tracks fit in the overall scheme of things. What gets me is that the more I listen to “Ghetto Techno”, the more I wonder why it was left off… the song is a banger. Even more than “Off That”. If the DJ played it after I got a few drinks in my system I’d dumb the fuck out…
RMF…
I’mma have to ask some of you to submit to a drug test.
in regards to the Black Album…..
didn’t really like Justify My Thug…Allure is ok…just those two smears on it IMO
don’t get me wrong….the rest of the Black Album is dope and proper…just remove those two…and it would have been the godsend a lot of people clamor it to be.
just my opinion though.
BP3 is not horrible but it’s not great either. Too much Hov bitching & whining. Not very God-like.
And the Timbaland tracks aren’t that bad.
That Swizz track is bad,.
Only time Jay-Z wasn’t relevant was when he released Reasonable Doubt…and even that’s a stretch to say.
Jay is a mogul now, end of rocafella, beginning of a roc nation, thus cats need to understand that “jigga” is probably dead, no shots, i mean jiggaman : the bounce, big pimpin’, hard knock life, DirtOffMS, 99 probs & so What more can i say to you… ?
enjoy the music, people want too MUCH
American Gangster is no fairytale Gotty. Hov really lived that. Man, Jay went from the hard streets of Marcy to the top of the world. This is truth. Gospel like KRS-One!
Jay-Z is the truth. He’s truthier than the truth. In fact, he’s the thruthiest truth that’s ever been true.
Jay-Z sold weight. lots of weight. He moved weight like Oprah. He’s the all-time biggest loser of movin’ weight. Jay sold ice to eskimos and water to wells and then he sold clouds to the sun for good measure.
Jay dodged feds, DEA, rival gangs, befriends italians and Jamaicans alike. He birthed brands and companies…
Jay-Z is everything I ever wanted to be but couldn’t. I live thru his music because his music is life.
So there.
*sniffles, wipes tears with nose with white 3XL tee sleeve, then walks off adjusting yankee fitted and pulls up dusty old rocawear jeans…
comes back to throw up a roc sign and yells out*
it’s the Roc! You bastids!
didn’t really like Justify My Thug…Allure is ok…just those two smears on it IMO
================================
Allure a smear…. * time out * song is so dope. & The Neptunes killed it.
I won’t say that The Black Album isn’t near the top of Jay’s discog, but AG is in the same league.
I agree its not horrible. I just think it doesnt fit with Jay Z. Maybe from DOA and this carrying on w/ the Blueprint saga i expected more soulful ish. instead its along the lines of a bootleg Kanye album and Ye would’ve delivered it better.
In fact the only reason i said its not his flow is because that track with Cudi sounds like a Ye verse.
I take back the guests remark cuz its true they are mostly on the hooks.
Young Forever is straight corny. Never thought he’d do something like that.
Is the sample from Empire State of Mind the same as a Saigon beat? Cant remember the name.
Timbo tracks do seem more fitting now after listening to the rest of the album.
ok so maybe i need to give more spins to this album. I keep going back and forth (bipolar concept).
The knock against Allure is that it gets out shined by its remixes, but still a good song.
*submits drug test*
results came back……..positive?
lol…Allure I guess is an acquired taste…I was never too big on Neptunes to begin with…so that’s prolly why I have mixed feelings with Allure…and to a lesser extent Change Clothes…yet I enjoyed Hell Hath No Fury a lot…I’m weird like that.
Man that commercial has me amped as hell…
My Top 5 Jay albums (in order):
Blueprint
Reasonable Doubt
Black Album
Vol 2
American Gangster
Jay- Z to hold a benefit concert in NYC on 9/11/09
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/31/jayz.concert/index.htm
What gets me about all of this:
We are comparing the man to HIMSELF.
Or rather, the albums to each other.
Outside of OutKast, Tribe, and De La, name another that we do that to.
Quick Nintendo Power Tip: Jay isn’t in a GROUP. The other artists are.
P.S. Watching the video, did anyone catch the personification of his lyrics?
For example, 22 Two’s? 99 Problems? 1-900-Hustler?
*checks in mirror*
I just may be a Jay-Z stan.
Maybe.
name another that we do that to.
————————————————
eminem. 50, nas, wayne, fabo(mixtape/record),
Jay-Z Stans have moved into the Stan HOF with Weezy F. Baby Stans.
Did you all actually listen to “Allure”?
It’s probably the last autobiographical song Hov did that was true & accurate to who he was, at that time & previous to.
NO song with “Justify My Thug” on it is listenable from beginning to end. American Gangster, tho? 5 Cigs.
Tell em I said that (c) Tip
eminem. 50, nas, wayne, fabo(mixtape/record)
=========
This heatedly?
With Em, it’s all about the MMLP. *MAYBE* TES, but that’s quietly debatable. No punches thrown.
50? *begrudgingly* GRODT was a “classic” and his best album to date. No one is going to get mad because we don’t argue for ‘Curtis’ being the best album from him.
Nas? What compares to Illmatic? And for that matter, you may be right, people might try to decide what’s worse; NAStradamus or Street’s Disciple (and don’t get mad, that album had a LOT of filler).
Well, with Wayne, it’s all about TC2. Maybe 500 degrees, but… yeah.
And Fabolous? As far as records go, Real Talk wins by a country mile. Can’t count mixtapes, otherwise, CH (I refuse to say his name, he might pop up) would be in the top running.
I’m just saying go back and check (C)rank It! for OutKast. Tell one person that you think 3 Feet High And Rising is the best De La album, and 3 will turn around and say De La Soul is Dead. Mention A Low End Theory and someone will throw a chair and say Midnight Marauders.
It’s all about perception.
THe more I listen to the albu mthe more I like it so that’s a good sign. A Star is Born is gettin some spin at the moment. Even the Timbo tracks are sounding better, except for Off That, that shit is just miserable…yes miserable
i like the album.. i don’t think anyone honestly thought we were gonna get “bp” or “rd” again. ‘d.o.a.” and “run this town” had my expectations sky high, but the timbo tracks brought me back down to earth. this is exactly what i thought it would be. a solid album from 40 year old jay. he did get a little grandpa “bitches” freeman from time to time, but what do you expect? example – that chris/beans/free track “last two” is bananas.. it made me miss the good ole days of the roc. but could you really see jay on that track ? he’s just not that dude anymore…. what bp3 is is what we’re gonna get. old man jay. but i’ll take mid lie crisis jay it any day over drake in his “prime”
side note—-someone tell me why people think swizz is a good producer, let alone rapper. dude is garbage on the boards and exponentially worse on the mic.
*throws up the roc*
shouts – “hov!!!”
*looks around to make sure no one was looking*
We are comparing the man to HIMSELF………. name another that we do that to.
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you asked who we compare to them selfs. people will always drop the “em pre encore vs post” GRDT 50 to well everything else since he lost his hunger. etc etc etc.
not about “this heatedly”, dont go getting your panties in a bunch. i was just sayin who i have heard be compared to them selfs.
I love this concept, so simple, yet creative.
I was only wondering why he wasn’t doing the covers in order, but it made sense with the transitioning.
The Black Album is a cohesive album – although I didn’t really care for Threat/Justify. When I first got it, PSA was getting a lot of rotation from me, so I was naturally happy when he put it in Dirt Off Your Shoulder video.
On first listen ‘Off that’ sounds like a beat that was meant for flo-rida.
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